Big ol' coupe under a grand.

[Cheggers]

Hi All,The title kind of says it all. I'm feeling the love for a big 80's/ 90's coupe, budget is under £1000.I'm thinking maybe 6 Series/ Mk 3 Supra/ XJS/ Merc CEAny experiences, opinions or alternatives I should consider??The car will not be my daily hack, but will need to be reliable.Cheers,Graham.

[pogweasel]

Hmm, tricky. Get a rotter pub-landlord chariot and you're on a one way-ticket to bankruptcy, as these are just the kind of things that by the time they reach the bottom of the curve have had several uncaring or skint owners. Supra you'll get a good one (though maybe with frilly arches) at that money, but the rest are potential liabilities. Either bigger budget or smaller sights!How about a Celica or an E30/E36 BMW? Better chance of getting a loved one.

[Guest]

How about

 

 

Find one with a kippered KV6, bosh in the denzel lump from an 825SD and live the shite dream.

[155V6]

How about

 

 

Find one with a kippered KV6, bosh in the denzel lump from an 825SD and live the shite dream.

Sounds like a plan,but I'd buy a later Vitesse with the better suspension.

[Cheggers]

Just the small matter of finding one...Weren't they all handbuilt??

[r.welfare]

827 is the only R800 coupe I would go for, the Honda lump is much better engineered. Not to say that you can't get decent 2 and 2.5 litres, though. I am led to believe a "decent" R800 koop is £1500 though.

 

For your budget, I would say that the Supra is going to be (statistically) the most reliable, but I'd be wary of DRIFTORZ hacks at the price. A nice CE might be garnered for a grand if you don't mind a 230. XJS or 6-series? Moneypit territory I would wager.

 

I do know of a H-reg Supra Turbo auto with decent provenance (they have looked after it for years and it's for sale on behalf of the customer) locally for £1495, sure they would take less: http://dealerservices.autotrader.co.uk/153421/knightsbridge_stock.htm (on the 2nd page). They've had it in stock for a fair while.

 

I don't have any affiliation with the garage other than I've used them to service my cars for the last 13 years and they are sound blokes.

[AnthonyG]

I would be very suspicious of any XJS, 6 series or 2 dr Merc advertised at less than a grand. Likely to be one MOT away from the scrappers. I would spend a bit more on the purchase price budget to get something much more likely to be a good buy.Even just going up to £1250 gets you out of the £995 'special' territory. You might a good honest basic spec 230 CE in an horrible colour (think green, brown and yellow) for £1250-1500. Decent 6 series start at £2-2500. Jaguar build quality is so variable its hard to say on XJS's. I don't know about Supra's but imagine they are in drift territory for that money.I would think outside the box if you want to get something decent for a £1000 - Celica, Prelude, Nissan 200Sx, Mazda Mx6. Also BMW E36 3 series.Avoid Rover 825 KV6's (P reg onwards) unless you like worrying about when the headgaskets going to go! 827's (earlier ones ) are OK though.

[Pete-M]

I would be very suspicious of any XJS, 6 series or 2 dr Merc advertised at less than a grand. Likely to be one MOT away from the scrappers. I would spend a bit more on the purchase price budget to get something much more likely to be a good buy.

Last XJ-S I bought was a "H" plate 3.6 auto with all the sport bits. 66k miles, and pretty bloody tidy. I paid £600 for it, but that was 3-4 years ago and I doubt I'd get another that nice for that money now.First one I bought was an A reg 5.3 HE for £400. I'll hopefully never be that stupid again.

[AnthonyG]

How about one of these? - completely forgotten about them -

 

http://retrorides.proboards86.com/index ... read=54662

 

Its a 1989 Audi Coupe, BTW. Also the earlier one that grew into the Quattro might be worth a look.

[pogweasel]

Nissan 200Sx

have you been living in a cave?EVERY 180/200sx is now a jizzed up, thrashed DRFT MACHINE.NOT AE86 OMG RWD BBQ

[Owain-328i]

Ahhh gotta be something german. The old S class coupe? The 635 CSI? Both are potential nightmares.

 

Parts will probably be cheaper for the bmw though, as the engine used in that, is the same / similar as the 7 series e24, e32, and its also the same unit / similar as the early 5 series e34 535i.

 

Early ones are easly obtainable for under a grand, but check the rust, as they rot nicely if not taken care of. Later 'Highline' models of 89-90 command big bucks.

 

 

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1986-BMW-635-CSI-AUTO-WHITE-88-000-MOTD-MINT_W0QQitemZ190285588013

 

 

 

 

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/RARE-MANUAL-GEARBOX-BMW-635-CSI-ALPINA-TYPE-ALLOYS_W0QQitemZ220356214289

 

Dont know anything about the Mercedes Coupes other than i like them!!

[garycox]

How much are those Lexus Soarer things these days?

[garycox]

Or how 'bout a late '90s Honda Accord Coupe?

[andrew e]

Ther is a lovely Legend Coupe on Autotrader in white for a smidge over a grand - proper thing too.

[shite_meister]

I was going to say either Accord or Legend Coupe, I've had both.Legend-(early nineties later 3.2 shape) was incredible, it was so smooth and actually economical. Really nicely trimmed inside with tastefull bur walnut and even the rear windows opened. Mine certainly didn't feel like a 15-year old car.Accord Coupe, usual Honda attributes and much nicer looking than the UK market Accord (in my opinion of course) nice interior and really comfy seats and should be fairly economical although I find the engine a little harsh but then we autoshiters can put up with that.Lexus Soarer will still be a fair whack I'd imagine. Mercedes W124 Coupe or 500SEC?? ok they might be piss-poor at that price but you never know.

[TheScrapman]

You can have this in a couple of weeks for £500

 

 

'98 S320. MOT Oct. Heated leather, auto everything, cruise, blah blah. Everything works except air con need charging. Will come with 16's, not 18's as pictured.

 

It has a few minor issues (hence low price):

 

It's rattle canned matt black (no, I didn't do it!).

It sits a bit too low (but still surprisingly comfy).

Interior rather tatty.

Bit of an oil leak.

Front wings are bent from it being too low

It did have LPG, so there are a few small holes here and there where the bits were bolted in.

 

Other than that it is such a lovely old barge to drive. Currently my daily. Heated seats do back and bum - sooo nice in this weather! It has the later 5-speed auto, so is relaxed on the motorway and gives me mid-high 20's on a run.